Improvement in excavators



3 Sheets--Sheet 2.

' M. E. LASHER.

Excavators.

Patented May 12, 1874.

M 0 U H! ,.m j 9..- f f O I/I/ITJVESSES.

V3She-ets--Sheuet3. M. E. LASHER.

Excavatrs. l N0.l5'0,767.` I Patented May l2, 1874.

SS INVENTQR C/ Attrneys.

Y, To all whom t may concern: r

` bined Grading and Ditchin g Machines; and do being had to the accolnpanying drawings, and

`by the kingfbolta, the axle being supported main frame A, back of the seat-supporting MORGAN LAsnEn, on

avrnrrr rtree.

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT `ltd EXCAVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,767, dated May 12, 1874; application filed April 22, 1874.

Be it known that I, MORGAN E. LAsHER, of Champaign, in the county of Champaign and in the btate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gomhereby declare that the following is a fnll, clear, and exact description thereof, reference to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a combined grading and ditching machine, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable' others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Fignre l is a plan view of my machine. Fig'. 2 is a front elevation of the same with the front wheels and axle removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical section, of the same. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views of detached parts thereof'.

A represents the frame of my machine resting, near the rear end, on the rear axle B, having the hind wheels C C. At the front end of the frame A is a block or bolster, D, resting upon the front' axle E, and attached thereto on the front wheels I-I H. The lower end of the king-bolt a passes through the front end of a brace, b, which is secured to an upright frame, I, secured to the main frame A, and supporting the drivers seat J. Across the frame I, is a horizontal frame-work, K, part above and part below the main frame, secured thereto, and extending beyond each side thereof for a suitable distance. To the end of this frame-work, on'the` left side ofthe machine, are secured two bars, L L, which are inclined inward from the upper to the lower ends, and provided on their outer sides with guide-rods dl d. Between the bars L and rods d is placed a horizontal beam, M, to which the plow G is connected by standards. The share and moldboard of the plow G are cut straight or square with the lower end of the elevator, and the upperback corner of the share and the lower .back corner of the nioldboard at the point where they join together are turned up slightly, as shown at c in Fig. 5, in order to help the earth to rise on the apron, and also to forni a sort of trough in connection with the steel bar ruiming crosswise the lower end of the apron or elevator. The upper and back corner of the mold-board is several inches longer than the remainder thereof, and is bent or curved, as shown, so as to stop the earth from running back, and at the same time turning it upon the apron or elevator. The plow G is raised and lowered at will by means of cords or chains f f attached to the beam M, and passing up to a windlass, N, above the frame K, said windlass being provided with a handwheel, O, which is locked at any point desired by means of a suitable latch, h, as shown. In front of the plow G is a revolving colter, l), arranged in a suitable frame attached to the front end of the. beam M, so as to be raised and lowered with the plow, and thus always retain the same relative position thereto. The apron of the elevator is constructed of two ilat chains, 7c 7c, runningover spur-wheels fm at the upper end of the elevator-frame R, to prevent the chains from slipping, and thechains pass over smooth wheels or pulleys n at the lower end of the elevator-frame. In the ila-t links of the chains k la are inserted wooden slats p p having tenons on their ends to fit in said links, and the inner sides of the slats are lined with canvas i, completing the elevatorapron. The elevator-,frame R is jointed about three feet from the plow, whereby the lower end of the frame from the joint to the plow can be run steeper than the part above the joint, which enables it to clear obstructions sooner than if it run straight from one end to the other. The upper end of the frame R can be run nearly level, so as to prevent the earth from rolling back to the plow. The upper end can be easily raised above bridges and obstructions while in motion. The elevator is suspended from the main frame A by means of rods r r connecting with the frame R immediately above the joint in the same. The upper end of the frame is provided with slidess s running in guides attached to the end of the horizontal frame-work K at the right side of the machine, and by cords or chains t t connected with a windlass, N', above the frame K', said windlass being provided with a handwheel, O', which is locked at any point desired by me. ns of a suitable latch, h'. The lower end of the elevator frame is, by cords or chains f', connected with the windlass N, which adjusts the plow, as heretofore described, so that the plow and front end of the elevator will be adjusted at the same time, and thus always retain the same relative position to each other. Across the lower end of the elevator runs a steel bar, v, which prevents the plow from pressing the earth against the apron as it passes around the lower pulleys or roller a, and raises it above the center of the roller before it touch es the apron, thereby materially reducing` the friction. This steel bar also, in connection with the plow, forms a trough, so that the plow will raise all the earth it cuts up onto the apron, taking it up perfectly clean, no matter how fine or loose it may be. In the lower end of the elevator is a pan, w, bent in the middle, so as to run the loose earth out each way that accumulates around the lower pulley. At the upper end of the elevator is an extension, B', the apron of which is constructed in the same manner as that in the elevator-frame It, except that it has no canvass, and the slats are placed close together, forming, as it were,

` a solid apron.

The machine is operated by the following means: On the inner side of each of the hind wheels is secured an internal cog-wheel, A', which gears with a pinion, a', on a shaft, b', having its bearings in suitable boxes on the main frame A, in front of the axle B. These pinions are connected with the shaft by a ratchet-connection, as shown at a: in Fig. 3, the pinions being held in gear by springs d', one at each end of the axle. It will readily be seen that when the machine moves forward theshaft b' will be revolved; but in going backward the pinions will turn on the shaft. Each pinion b' is connected with a lever, B', the upper end of which is held in a vertical frame upon the main frame A. The two levers B' B' are, by rods c' e', connected with another lever, c', pivoted to said vertical frame, the connection of the rods e' with said lever c being one above and the other below the pivotpoint. By turning this lever c to .one side, the pinions b' are drawn inward sufficiently to be out of gear, and thus stop the working of the machine, the lever being held by any suitable catch or stop. On the shaft b' are secured two cog-wheels, D1 and D2, of unequal diameter, which areto gear with two corresponding cog-wheels, El and E2. The two latter cog-wheels are secured on a sleeve, i, which is feathered on a shaft, k', and moved laterally 011 the same by means of a lever, G'. The cog-wheels El E2 are so arranged on the sleeve z'- that when one of them gears with the corresponding wheel on the shaft b', the other will be out of gear, and vice versa, so that by shifting the lever G' the shaft la' will be revolved faster or slower, as desired. The end of the shaft 7c' is, by a universal joint, m1, connected with an extension tumbling-shaft, m2, and the other end of this shaft, by a universal joint, m3, with a shaft, m4, having its bearing in a frame, m5, attached to the side at the upper end of the elevator-frame B. The shaft m4 is, by suitable bevel or miter wheels m, connected with the shaft, upon which the spurwheels m of the elevator are secured. The other end of this latter shaft is, by suitable pulleys and chain or belt, connected with the elevator-extension B'. By these means the aprons are revolved at whatever `angle they may be placed, and either fast or slow, as may be desired. The slow motion is for removing the sod, and the fast motion for removing the loose earth.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, ina grading and ditch- -ing machine, of the movable beam M, the plow Gr, and colter P, both connected thereto, the guide-rods d d, inclined bars L L, cords or chains ff, and windlass N, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The elevator-apron herein described, consisting of the at chains 7c 7c, tenoned slats pp, and canvass i, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the jointed elevator-frame R, carrying the apron 7c p t', of the rods r r, cords or chains t t and f' f', slides s s, and windlasses N N', all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. The combination, in a grading and ditching machine, of the plow G with curved portion e, the downwardly-curved steel bar c, between the plow and the end of the elevator, the elevator-apron k p t', and the convex pan w, arranged in the lower end of the elevator, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

5. The combination, with the-drivingwhecl G, of the cog-wheels A', pinions a', shaft b', springs d', levers B', rods e', and lever C', all

substantially as and for the purposes herein' set forth.

6. The combination, with the shaft b', of the 

